Where Oh Where Was My Little Sphinx Built?

The Great Sphinx was built about 4500 years ago!  The Sphinx must have been built really carefully to be able to still be in pretty good shape today.  It was built in Giza near the great pyramids.  People say that the Great Sphinx is watching carefully, protecting the pyramids from danger.  It took years and years and years to build the Sphinx.  It was probably carved by hundreds of men.  If you wanted to help build the Great Sphinx of Giza you probably had to be a great artist and sculptor to get the job done right!  The workers either got a lot of medium size boulders and carved out a certain part each, or they used one big boulder and all worked on the Sphinx together.

Napoleon looking at his target, The Great Sphinx

The Sphinx we see today is not the same Sphinx that was built all those years ago, it has suffered significant damage from sand storms and other disasters.  Scholars believe that the Great Sphinx once had a beard and a nose.  Some people think that Napoleon's men should be held responsible because they are accused of using the Great Sphinx face for target practice.